Traffic report released in EZ Rider accident

James Cannon

Published 4:11 am, Sunday, March 11, 2012

The City of Midland released the traffic investigation report for the Feb. 22 accident involving an EZ Rider bus and a 2-year-old.

An EZ Rider bus was traveling northbound on the 1600 block of South Terrell Avenue on Feb. 22 at 10:32 a.m. when it struck an infant. The child was walking with her grandmother and aunt northbound on the east sidewalk. The 2-year-old girl saw her uncle walking southbound on the west sidewalk of Terrell Avenue and darted into the roadway to meet him when she was struck by the bus, according to the crash report obtained by the Reporter-Telegram.

Midland Fire Department EMS transported the child to Midland Memorial Hospital in critical condition, said Tasa Watts, Midland's public information officer. The child was later airlifted to Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock.

Within 24 hours of the accident, the child's condition was upgraded to stable condition, said a Covenant Medical Center House supervisor.

A family member of the injured girl said the child is doing considerably better, but still has to see doctors in Lubbock on a regular basis. The Reporter-Telegram does not identify minor victims.

All of the witnesses told traffic officer C. W. Owen that the child darted in front of the bus. The report also stated there was no evidence that the bus was speeding at the time of the accident.

The Reporter-Telegram will not release the name of the driver because no charges were filed against the EZ Rider employee.

The driver has not yet returned to work after the traumatic event, said Alonda Massey, general manager for EZ Rider.

"This incident was also traumatic for (the driver)," Massey told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview Friday afternoon. "We are allowing (the driver) some time off. Long enough for her to feel comfortable enough to return to work."

She said she couldn't comment on the internal investigation further Friday afternoon, but said she would speak to the Reporter-Telegram about the investigation's findings once it is completed. She expects the internal investigation to be concluded sometime next week.